1. Technical Field
This disclosure relates to technology for generating print data that is independent of a printer on which it is printed.
2) Description of the Related Art
As disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 2000-035861 and H11-184657, a printer driver has been heretofore known generally, which generates independent data that does not depend on a printer, a so-called intermediate data, when printing is performed by generating print data unique to the printer from application data for which a print request is made by an application.
Such intermediate data is in a form independent of a printer. Accordingly, intermediate data is stored in a memory or the like of a printer server, and reusing the intermediate data to perform printing at the time of printing a document in the same application data from a client's personal computer (PC) or the like, generating a preview from the intermediate data, or combining a plurality of intermediate data to print a single document is generally performed.
Since such intermediate data is one having a property used for reprinting of document data and preview processing, in many occasions, a plurality of users use the intermediate data to perform printing.
However, if the printing result is the same for all users, when the users use the same intermediate data to perform printing, inconveniences may be caused.
For example, when the document data includes confidential information or secret information, which should not be seen by the third party, and when the secret information is directly printed out for users other than an author of the intermediate data who generates the intermediate data, by performing the initial printing, there is a possibility that printed matter including the secret information may be distributed, without the author's knowledge, thereby causing a problem in that the security of document cannot be maintained.
On the other hand, if information indicating that the printed matter includes secret information is displayed on the printed matter with respect to users other than the author of the intermediate data, it can be prevented that the user who performs printing by using the intermediate data improperly distributes the printed matter including the secret information to the third party.
Further, many of users of the intermediate data who print document data in companies are at various official positions and have various roles, and there are various types of document data, such as application document and e-mail document. Therefore, if the secret information is deleted uniformly or information indicating that the printed matter includes secret information is uniformly displayed on the printed matter, with respect to all users or all intermediate data, information necessary for the printed matter is missing, or unnecessary information may be printed, thereby causing a problem in that distribution of the printed matter becomes inconvenient.